Birds of a Feather.....

Birds of a feather flock together! My mother would say this repeatedly when she didn't approve of my friends and I would tell her I am nothing like them. I had no clue what the heck she was talking about truly until I became an entrepreneur. When birds are migrating, they often fly in a V pattern. The bird in the very front has the most energy during that time and the wind from his wings will often pass through the birds flying behind him. This pattern of wind flows through the entire flock of birds flying, and the birds towards the end don't have to do as much and are able to sail on the winds of the birds in front of them. As business owners we could learn a lot from birds. Typically the big successful business with the most energy do not lend the wind beneath their wings to the smaller upcoming business behind them. It is up to us to form bonds with one another (as entrepreneurs) that will allow us to lean on one another for strength when we may be lacking in an area.

What does this look like? If you could cut open the brain of an entrepreneur, you would probably find some substances that are foreign to others. We have a certain level of courage that others envy that borders insanity. Our ability to understand the need for security but disregard it for advancement is limitless. We are often misunderstood as being fearless and driven, instead of simply encouraged to overcome our fears by pursuing our purpose. We must engage in tasks that may seem unnecessary to others. Proper analysis that are time consuming, scrapping and redeveloping new business models that may seem as though we are beating a dead horse lead to the outsider's judgement of us. This is why it is so important to surround yourself with like minded people. People that can influence and encourage you to continue pursuing your passion. I know it seems this person should always be your spouse, best friend or close relative, but this is most often not the case. In relationships we confuse our personal life with our business life and it doesn't always mix. While George is supportive of my business ventures, and has his own business ventures, we are two very different people and our business opinions don't always mix well. George is from Mississippi where your word and a handshake has still not been replaced entirely by a solid and well written contract as it is here in California. He is laid back with his work schedule, and I'm a stickler for making certain my clients receive services in a timely manner delivered with excellent customer service. George believes in fixing all the unseen problems of the persons vehicle or computer and I believe in giving my client only what they've contracted for. While we talk business and share our office space (temporarily), we most often do not talk business because it leads to unnecessary issues.

I choose to surround myself with like minded entrepreneurs. They keep me fresh and the ideas free flowing. Although this can be a challenging task at times, it is much easier to find like minded people in this technology age. With Face Book, Twitter, Flickr, etc., there are so many ways to connect to entrepreneurs besides your local Chamber of Commerce. When you get those seminar tickets in the mail to attend a free lunch seminar, go! George and I would attend these all the time. We would both take note pads and pens and we would both get different business ideas out of the same seminar. We'd meet afterwards and brainstorm about ideas to help our various businesses and would have the encouragement and steam we needed to launch the next venture/marketing idea. They are usually a few hours out of your day, often are on the weekend and typically serve free lunch so what harm is it. We have connected with some amazing business people doing amazing things and even had a few clients come out of these seminars. Pick the one you like the most and attend. If you don't receive these types of ads in the mail, get online and search for a free seminar in a subject you are interested in. Just get connected and plugged-in to some like minded people soon, before your light begins to dull and your flame goes out. If all else fails, I'm free for lunch most Tuesdays and Saturdays and would love to hear your business ideas. (smiling)